I think I have stumbled upon what may be a holy grail for pothole
gnomes: A giant mountain of asphalt -- the black, pebbly, warm-when-you-pour-it
stuff the city Department of Transportation uses to plug up our streets!

During my week-long tour with the Department, I made fast
friends with a fellow named Warmy -- he's charming; he's about the size and
shape of an overgrown hockey puck, and he's hard as a rock but still pliable
enough to fill our potholes.

Warmy, you see, is made entirely of asphalt.

Don't worry, I'm not flirting on the job -- it's all business
with me, Pothole Patty. Honest.

Well, Warmy brought me to Corona, Queens, Monday, to
visit a giant mountain of asphalt at the Harper Street Asphalt Production
Facility.

Did you know that just last week, DOT crews used 16,049
tons of asphalt for paving? That's the same weight as more than 4 million
gallons of milk.